Why should I participate in the College of Engineering Honors if the classes are harder?

I personally found the Honors program to be very engaging and liberating. We weren't confined to simply using MATLAB to solve problems in abstract and not even remotely useful situations, but rather to link the knowledge we gained between algorithms and vague engineering principles to control and direct hardware. I think many of us felt that we were lucky to be doing something hard and INTERESTING and truly challenging. If you want a challenge, and you like the idea of doing complex projects, GO FOR IT!
~ Vikram Pansare, Chemical Engineering

I do not believe that participating in honors courses had any negative effects on my GPA. If anything, the increased difficulty and time commitment of the honors curriculum helped me develop a more structured, work-oriented lifestyle at school, kept me on task, and enabled me to get my work done so that I could still enjoy my time with friends.
~ Jennifer Tietz, Electrical & Computer Engineering

I feel like I gave myself a head start by being involved with the Honors Program. At first I wasn't sure if it was worth it for me to take on the extra workload, but once I started my EE courses, I was really glad that I had challenged myself that first year. I felt more prepared and more confident in my classes. It was also a great thing to have on my resume when I applied for a co-op position. I'm sure that being involved in the Honors Program was one of the factors that helped me get multiple co-op offers as a freshman.
~ Ashley Mehringer, Electrical Engineering

Why is the Honors Engineering Learning Community Beneficial?

I feel that the HELC has been one of the best choices I made when I chose to come to Purdue. If I have a question on class work, I can turn to my roommate and ask him or walk one door down and obtain an answer to my question. We are all taking the same core classes and we can all study together and I really believe that I have benefited greatly from this opportunity. Also, I have enjoyed the events. Taking apart the engine was an incredible learning experience that I would not have been able to have otherwise. As far as choosing an engineering discipline, I believe I can make a more informed decision about it because we (my hall mates and myself) discuss the different disciplines and we all have a slightly difference take on each of them and the way one person views IE or ECE might shed new light on my opinion. I would highly recommend it to any incoming freshman.
~ Jeremy Koehler, Mechanical Engineering

I love the LC and would recommend it to anyone in the Honors program. Because of the LC, I had an instant group of friends when I arrived at Purdue. I can truly say that it was the people in the LC who kept me in Honors. Without them, I might have considered switching to a different major, but I knew that they were all going through the same things that I was, and it was so great to have that kind of support system, not to mention an instant study group! I can't say enough about how great the LC is! It is the Learning Community that has made me love Purdue so much. These people are like family to me, and they have truly made Purdue my home.
~Kassie Lloyd, Computer Engineering